We speak to the British 10,000m champion who is developing a habit of stepping up for the big occasion.
After sealing selection for the 10,000m at the European Championships in Birmingham, Izzy Fry is gearing up for the big event in the East Midlands university town of Loughborough in August. It was hardly love at first sight.
“I hated the idea of Loughborough when I first visited,” he says, “but now I’ve finally bought a house here.
As a student, Fry went to St Mary’s House, Twickenham. But now, aged 26, he has been taken to Loughborough, where he is coached by Sonia and Chris McGeorge. Aside from the occasional high-altitude training trip, his home is on the outskirts of the city, which he says is ideal because it means he’s in the middle of the “student bubble.”
He’s never short of training partners and was due to meet Ben Pattison and Matt Stonier after our interview, and the environment is clearly working as he won the British 10,000m title in style on home soil in Loughborough in May.
“I just had to sit back and try to win the race,” she told AW after clocking 32:12.91 to beat Poppy Tank and Hannah Irwin. “Usually I’m the one doing the hard work at the front, but this time I had to be selfish.”
Frye is building a reputation as an athlete who rises to the occasion. As part of the Great Britain Cross Country team, she won the World Universities title in Portugal in 2022 and was the leading Briton in the 5000m at the 2024 European Championships in Rome.
“I think I’m naturally better at running than I am at training,” he says. “No matter how training goes, I can usually turn it up a little bit on race day.”
However, it is rarely plain sailing for an athlete. He spent the spring managing his Achilles problems and is keen to stay on top of them over the summer, especially as he also has his eye on the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
“You want to arrive at the championships fit but not prepared,” he says. “The No. 1 goal is just to stay healthy.”
He says at the European Champions Championship. “I have one job now. be at my peak in three months. Every time I put on a GB vest, it’s like I find another level.”
Fry, who hails from Newbury, is drawing comparisons to the 2022 Commonwealth Games. “I’m praying for an atmosphere like Elish McColgan’s 10,000m at those Birmingham Games,” he says. “I’ve never really experienced a packed stadium before, so I can imagine how Birmingham will feel.”
Whatever happens on the track this summer, you’ll be sure to see him tackling the mud again this winter. “I love the hard side of cross-country,” he says, adding: “I also didn’t realize how much I would enjoy racing until this winter. I feel fortunate to be able to do all three: track, road and cross-country. It keeps the year fresh.”
Inevitably, the marathon enters the conversation. “I know it’s going to come at some point, I’m just not ready yet,” he says. “I’m not afraid to go to the marathon among young people, but I don’t want to do it too soon. The idea of marathon training really appeals to me, and you don’t want to wait too long if that’s the event you’re going to be the best at.”
